There is so much around us to absorb. Just if we could stay in the present. This blog is an expression of some of the energies that emerge out of my practice of being!

Friday, December 27, 2013

Let my questions be cleared!

Here is an excerpt from "The book of secrets" by Osho:

Bertrand Russel remembers that when he was a child he thought one day, when he is mature enough to understand all philosophy, all questions will be answered. Then later, when was eighty, he said, "Now I can say that my own questions are there standing, as they were standing when I was a child. No other questions have come because of these theories of philosophy". So he said, "When I was young I used to say, philosophy is an an inquiry for ultimate answers. Now I cannot say it. It is an inquiry for endless questions."

Russel's statement connects with me so much. That is exactly why I started studying psychology, philosophy and other spiritual literature: to get answers. My questions started by an inquiry into the universe, galaxies, stars, black holes, etc. I wanted to study astrophysics. And when I did read a lot of physics, I was amused by the vastness and greatness of the universe while being curious about the tininess of our own existence. It bothered me for a very long time that how come in such a vast universe we are the only seemingly important beings. Is this entire universe, where we don't event account for a millisecond on universes life scale, just created for us? If we are so important, what is our purpose? If we do have a purpose, are we really fulfilling it? Am I fulfilling my purpose? What is my purpose? What is the right thing for me to do? I always felt good when I found some answers only to quickly find myself entrapped among many other questions. After a long stretch of questioning phase, my questions started creating a lot of suffering and agony. Agony because the questions turned towards morality and everything that I did had to pass through a self-created moral filter. I din't want to do wrong things. I was confused as to how I would know what is the right thing to do unless I question?

Years of reading hundreds of books left me in a state of continuous thinking. Problems were no more real to me. They were only mental. When others suffered, I could not really empathize, because to me the problems were not real. They were only puzzles that were supposed to be arranged in a logical sequence so that they make sense. I had to dig into every problem, every decision, every action such that it made sense, such that it gave me purpose, such that they made me comfortable. I was finding logic, attributing intention, and deducing meaning but I forgot to see the reality as it is; without judging. For years, I believed that being judgemental is about complaining and cretisizing. So, I did the opposite. I used my mind to embrace everything. But it somehow din't feel right all the time. In my quest for happiness, I denied reality.

My life became a carefully crafted series of actions. Of course, it felt good to be in control and thoughtful. I also have to admit that this approach brought me many things which I am extremely grateful about. However, it left me longing for a sense of spontaneity. I did not want to scrutinize all my thoughts and actions. I did not want to ask if this is right or not. I wanted to feel free.

I made the decision not to think that much and act freely. Well, as it were, it was not so easy. I had perhaps hard-coded lot of thought patterns into my brain that it was impossible not to find myself in loops of thoughts (I intend to write a separate blog post on this loops, later). I started Yoga but could not continue for long stretches of time as my mind was more focused on questions about Yoga instead of being able to focus on breath and awareness of the movements and posture. In a few seconds' time, my mind goes into amazing labyrinth of my unconsciousness and keeps pulling thoughts like the rabbit out of a magician's hat. Thought patterns and associations I din't believe existed!

Here is a glimpse at just 60 seconds of non-stop thinking while I am performing an asana:

Am I doing it right? Should I be actually seeking the help of a teacher? Where will I find the right teacher who is of pure intention to teach me. How can I go to Bihar School of Yoga and learn for months together without working to support livelihood. I have enough money to sustain four months of training; but since I am a freelance contractor once my pipeline of projects is diverted, it is very difficult to regain it. What will I do then? I should not let this client go away. I have to work and deliver on time. Oh yes, I have to fix that bug which I have been postponing from a week because I was feeling too restless to work. But working makes me long for Yoga. Oh god, let me complete this session quickly for today and work on that bug. Once I finish the pending things, from tomorrow, I will be able to better focus on Yoga.

Well, there is more to it, but the above thread is enough to give jolt to my own self as I write.

Once I realized the bombardment of my thoughts, I became more agonized because I seemed to have no control whatsoever on them. I wanted to get rid of them. However, being on the path of intellect I questioned as to why those thoughts are occurring so that I can solve the root problem such as completing my work so that the concerns of work don't arise during my Yoga practice. To my amazement, the concerns never stopped. If I thought of addressing one, there was another in the pipeline. I was just pulling the ribbon out of the Magician's pocket which never seemed to end. I kept pulling this ribbon for years!

Very recently, I realized that that ribbon is a self creating one triggered by the act of pulling. So, the more I pull it the more there is to pull. The more I ask, the more questions there are. While taking a walk after visiting a beautiful temple and asking for guidance, I received the message that my approach is not very useful. Intellectually, I knew this for long time. But there is something about messages and insights. When they come, they just pierce through you leaving no more dilemmas about the topic concerned.

Practice! The message said, Practice! You spent way too much time trying to ask why this is happening. What is the cause. How can I eliminate the root cause of this problem. What are other issues that are influencing this, and so on. Well, sit down and meditate. All your questions will be cleared.

It was indeed very true. I spent a lot of time finding out which path is the right one for me. I spent lot of time getting proof of the path that I wanted to pursue. I wanted to ensure that the cake was tasty before I ate it. At the same time, I din't believe others' narrations for I knew the transmission of experiential knowledge is logically impossible.

In continuation to that message, a few days later, I got another message: It is not necessary that you get answers to your questions. It is much better not to get questions at all. That is a state of bliss. Enlightenment, contrary to popular belief, is not when all your questions are answered. It is that state when no questions arise whatsoever. It is a state where the reality is just perceived. There are no questions to be asked for there are no doubts. The entire existence of questioning and reasoning is based on our discriminatory powers. When you transcend to the state of oneness, there is no discrimination (the power to discriminate still exists, but the need to discriminate does not). This leads to a state of no questioning.

Here I take a bite of the cake! The taste is not what I expected it to be. But that's the point, if it were like anything else, why eat this cake !!!

I eat and I pray - Let my questions be cleared!

(PS: The entire journey of years of questioning was not a waste. It was absolutely a prerequisite to the realization that questions need not be answered.)

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My interests include psychology, yoga, meditation, and business innovation. I love tea and drink whole leaf teas which are available from a curated list on our own online store. I generally drink green tea which gives makes my mornings somehow light. I also drink whole leaf black teas occasionally to give a finer, richer experience to my taste buds. I am also very interested in sustainable energy systems and alternative healing methods such as Reiki, Pranic Healing, and herbal remedies. I am a level 1 Reiki practitioner and offer healing to friends and family as I am still learning.